怎样的申请者能够获得设计类领军院校Pratt Institute的青睐
- 原创
背景介绍
申请难点
留学规划与提升
1.1 专业简介
人机交互（Human Computer Interaction ，缩写：HCI，或human-machine interaction，缩写：HMI），是一门研究系统与用户之间的交互关系的学问。系统可以是各种各样的机器，也可以是计算机化的系统和软件。
HCI是一门交叉学科，涵盖艺术，设计，计算机，心理学，生物医学工程，社会学等等学科。美国申请中部分学校需要提供作品集。交叉学科的性质也导致如果要开设HCI这门课对学校的师资要求比较高，所以就算是在美国，开设该专业研究生申请的学校也比少，可选择的学校并不多，集中在好的学校就更加为数不多。
HCI专业目前USNews上还没有专业排名。美国开设HCI专业的学校并不多，而且项目设置和课程设置也不尽相同。HCI项目绝大部分设置在计算机或信息学院，有的学校HCI作为一个单独的硕士项目，比如CMU；而有的学校HCI只是一个master program 中的某一个track/concentration例如在Cornell， HCI 是IS的一个方向，在Stanford，它又是CS的一个方向。如果是这样的情况，这就需要在申请的时候仔细斟酌是否具体该专业的背景，例如，UCB的HCI就是CS（计算机科学）下面的一个方向，学校要求申请人提供Computer Competency Statement，对计算机能力提出了较高的要求。
Master：硕士项目总体不多，其中部分学校将其归在其它专业中的一个小方向。常见学校包括CMU, GaTech、UW、U Mich、IUB、UMD， NYU。艺术类的院校有Parsons的Design and Technology，California College of the Arts的Interactive Design等等。
研究生阶段的课程一般也是理论结合实践。以CMU的HCI硕士的7门核心课程为例，分别是
Communications in HCI： 学习研究沟通能力和技巧，尤其强调英文写作能力的培养，倾听和通过有效沟通整合信息资源的能力。
User-Centered Research and Evaluation (UCRE) ：培养有关HCI的知识，技能以及比较系统的设计方式和理念。能够辨别出好的设计和不好的设计。同时提供自主项目的实验课程。
Interaction Design Studio 1 and Interaction Design Studio 2：尝试用设计思维，从不同的维度进行基本的交互设计实践，包括移动信息系统等交互体验。 后期会以习得的设计思维和方法论作为起点，来完成所有的课业。学生将获得与专业的UX设计实践相关的技能。
Programming Usable Interfaces (PUI) ： 综合授课和高强度的编程实践，来完成基于交互观念的模型。
Software Structures for User Interfaces：通过搭建软件来实践用户的交互。要求有相关的CS（Computer Science）背景。
HCI-Project I 和HCI-Project II: 要求学生通过分析，测评，实践，设计和技能在夸学科任务组中完成项目。
院校解读
留学方案
案例分析
Excellent Volunteer of Shandong university students network security skills competition
Excellent Angel Heart
First-class Scholarship
优势：
托福成绩基本达标，本科的就读专业导致学生对计算机类的软件掌握较为娴熟
劣势：
学生本科不是完全对口的基础设计类专业，之前对设计相关的内容了解的也不是非常多；绩点不是特别突出。
制胜因素：
因此在给该生做头脑风暴的时候，我们的顾问老师先是非常细致的带领学生捋清了整个文书的思路走向，在指导该学生的文书素材收集整理，以及文书的框架思路的搭建和完善时，针对性地根据每一段经历的内容进行了筛选，目的是尽量在文书中通过对科研以及在校比赛最大化利用，从而展现学生对该专业的申请意愿是非常强烈的。
此外，作品集也是申请中非常重要的部分，因此，我们的顾问老师，针对每个学校的作品集要求对学生进行了相应的介绍，便于学生针对性的做好作品集的准备。
下附Pratt 2020FALL 的申请要求，供大家参考
Communications Design, MFA
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
The online application, hosted by CollegeNET, as well as various requirements, may be found at www.pratt.edu/apply. Please note: Pratt’s application enables applicants to request recommendation letters and upload transcript(s) online. Writing samples, for those departments that require them, will be uploaded on the application. Visual portfolios are submitted at pratt.slideroom.com. See www.pratt.edu/apply for instructions on submitting your application and supporting documents.
Candidates for graduate admission must submit the following:
Online graduate application with nonrefundable $50 application fee at www.pratt.edu/apply. (International students must pay a $90 application fee.) Graduate students are required to apply online.
Official course-by-course transcripts from all institutions attended after graduation from secondary school. Make sure each transcript contains the school name and your name before uploading it to the application. International students must have all transcripts officially translated into English. (Both the official original and the English translation must be uploaded online at our application site.) Students who have studied outside the US in an educational structure different from that in the US (three-year degrees, for example) are asked to submit a credential evaluation provided by WES (www.wes.org) or any other NACES member (www.naces.org) to expedite their application processing. The documents must be officially translated into English before they are submitted to any reputable education evaluation service, e.g., your embassy. Credential evaluations do not include translations, but some services may offer them for an additional cost.
Supporting documents: The following documents should be submitted electronically on the online application site at www.pratt.edu/apply. Please include the following:
Two letters of recommendation from employers, professors, or others able to judge your potential for graduate study in the specific program to which you are applying. Recommendation letters are submitted online. See www.pratt.edu/apply. If your references prefer not to submit online, please ask them to seal their letter in an envelope, sign across the flap, and mail their references to
Pratt Institute
Office of Graduate Admissions
200 Willoughby Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205
Make sure to contact your references and request a recommendation letter from them. Let them know the process is online.
Additional writing sample (required by City and Regional Planning, Urban Placemaking and Management, Sustainable Environmental Systems, Historic Preservation, Media Studies, History of Art and Design, Performance and Performance Studies, and Writing only) may be uploaded at the application site.
Résumé (required for Design Management, City and Regional Planning, Historic Preservation, Urban Placemaking, Sustainable Environmental Systems, and all School of Information degree programs; optional for all other graduate programs) should be uploaded to the application site.
Statement of purpose stating your long-range goals, interest in the chosen discipline, and reason for applying to the programs. The statement of purpose, which must be no more than 500 words, should be uploaded to the application site.
TOEFL score, PTE score, IELTS score, or Duolingo score for international applicants whose native language is not English. Unless otherwise indicated by a specific department, the minimum required TOEFL score is 79 (internet and home test), TOEFL ITP Plus for Mainland China of 550*, PTE score of 53, IELTS score of 6.5, or a Duolingo score of 105. Please make sure that you register for a test that will enable you to submit your scores by the application deadline. It generally takes two or four weeks to receive the scores, except Duolingo scores which are typically delivered within a week. The Pratt Institute code for TOEFL is 2669. Check www.toefl.org for information on testing sites.
Portfolio: Check under “Department Requirements” for the portfolio requirements for your specific program.
*The TOEFL ITP Plus is available through Vericant
APPLICANTS FROM CHINA
In order to provide an in-person interview opportunity for all Chinese applicants or applicants from other countries in Asia who are interested in Pratt Institute, and to process your application faster, we have partnered with Vericant. Vericant will conduct video interviews and short writing samples with our applicants in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Seoul, Taipei, and San Francisco. Vericant does not evaluate candidates but instead posts the interviews online for our admissions team to review. The Vericant interview will form part of your application package if you opt to be interviewed.
Although the Vericant interview is not mandatory, we highly recommend it, as it will give you an excellent opportunity to showcase your skills and professionalism to our admissions team.
To learn more about Vericant and to schedule an interview, please visit Vericant’s website at www.students.vericant.com. Vericant provides interviews in the following cities: Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Nanjing, Qingdao, San Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Taipei, Wuhan, Xi’an, and Zhengzhou.
